From Pasta Modern by Francine Sagan comes this complex vegetarian dish. Not complex to prepare, but on so complex in flavor, so satisfying that you will not be asking yourself: where are the meatballs? The delight here is the string beans, cooked with tomatoes, garlic...

In a word, this dish is a surprise, a wonderful surprise. The word “shoulder” has origins that can be traced back only a few hundred years. In Old High German, it may have meant “shield” which strikes notes of strength and firmness. Today, a shoulder cut of meat is...

“Making potato salad,” Suzen said to me a couple of weeks ago. It was a statement, not a question. And, it was pretty obvious. I had emptied out half the pantry and the refrigerator. Vinegars, two of them. Pickles, real ones and jalapenos. Mayo, mustard. Bacon was...

People often bring things to a holiday party. For post-Thanksgiving party, Cynthia Beckman brought the centerpiece. It would be an vast understatement to say Cynthia is a decorating genius. It help, of course, that she simply loves making anything she is around...

“I looked,” I said. “I can’t find one.” Suzen turned and looked at me. She began to say, “That’s a load of …” But she stopped. “I’ll look,” she said. “We have one.” “Oh, I know we have one, Suzen. I just don’t know where.” We needed an 8” square pan. We were in our...

Part of the trick to entertaining is to maintain balance with the stages of the evening. When guests come to our house — which really means when they come to our kitchen where every party seems to focus — we always have an array of appetizers ready...